Upper Landing History

Early Dutch pioneers began settling in and around the Upper Landing property during the late 17th Century. They were primarily attracted by the Fall Kill Creek which offered a source of power from the creek’s abundant waterfalls and a safe harbor provided by its quiet, protected cove. Mills powered by these falls and river commerce centered at the Upper Landing contributed greatly to the steady growth of Poughkeepsie over the next 200 years. Manufacturing, steam ships, and energy generation took root at Upper Landing as well, ushering in periods of prosperity for the Hoffman and Reynolds families—who built homesteads on the sloping property north of the Fall Kill Creek—and the entire Poughkeepsie community. However, the Upper Landing saw its importance as a commercial hub decline slowly but steadily following the arrival of the first trains to Poughkeepsie in 1850. By the early 1900s, the factories, mills, and steam ships that once bustled at Upper Landing were gone and the majority of the site had become dedicated to the Upper Landing steam power plant, which the Central Hudson Gas & Electric Company purchased in 1911. Central Hudson still operates an electric transmission facility on the property today, close to the Hudson River shoreline, but sold a 2.7 acre parcel containing the historic Hoffman and Reynolds to the City of Poughkeepsie in 2005. Subsequently, the Dyson Foundation purchased the Upper Landing parcel from the City in 2012 and is in the process of developing a new waterfront park on the site that is scheduled to open to the public in the Fall of 2013. A more comprehensive history of the site is currently being researched and written along with an interactive timeline. These elements are expected to be completed and made available on this site over the coming months. In the meantime, visitors to this site are welcome to view the completed Historic Structures report which provides in depth historical and architectural information pertaining to the Hoffman and Reynolds houses.